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December 04, 2008
Bhopal mourns gas victims
Central Chronicle, December 4, 2008
Bhopal, Dec 3: Survivors of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy today mourned their kith and kin, who had a silent death following leakage of about 40 tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate from the Union Carbide Corporation's (UCC) pesticide plant here on this day 24 years ago.
Several Non Government Organisations (NGOs) organised their own programmes in the gas-hit city as part of the annual ritual to pay homage to the victims, mostly belonging to downtrodden families.
All Religion Prayer
At the government level, an 'All Religion Prayer' was organised at the Barkatullah Bhavan to pay tribute to those perished in the world's worst industrial disaster.
Madhya Pradesh State Human Rights Commission Chairman Justice DM Dharmadhikari led the prayers. Traditionally, Governor and Chief Minister used to attend the function but this time they did not turn up.
Religious heads of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Daudi Bohra, Jainism and Buddhism made the prayers at the meeting.
Those present on the occasion included DGP SK Raut, Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department Devraj Virdi, Bhopal divisional commissioner Pukhraj Maroo, IG Shailendra Shrivastava and a large number of distinguished citizens and public representatives.
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India organised a human chain, staged a demonstration and burnt former UCC Chairman Warren Anderson in effigy at Itwara Chowk. CPI district secretary Shailendra Kumar Shaili said that capitalism has given birth to terrorism. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy happened due to capitalist terrorism, he added.
Mahila Udyog Sangathan
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan organised condolence meetings at different venues, including on the road in front of the Union Carbide factory which is currently acquired by another multinational Dow Chemicals.
A small memorial
The statue of a woman carrying an infant in her hand and another kid holding her saree, depicting the panic of the intervening night of December 2-3 1984, was also a centre of attraction across the plant.
Railway employees
The railway employees paid tributes to their 45 colleagues, including then Bhopal Station Superintendent HS Dhurve, who died during the tragedy. He had reportedly stopped the movement of trains passing through Bhopal averting casualty of a number of train passengers and in this bid he died in his office chamber.
Unique homage by artists
Artists of Bhopal paid homage to the Gas Tragedy victims in a unique way, through paintings. The Bhopal Gas Peedit Sangharsh Sahyog Samiti had organised this programme in front Union Carbide gate. Senior artists like Dr. LN Bhavsar, Devilal Patidar, Anil Gaikwar, Roopinder Siddhu, Hutaram Adhikari, Manoj Kulkarni, Shailendra Namdev, Satish Dhoke, Dr. Raju Rathore, Ramashankar Mishra, Shital Sharma, Padmakar Santape, Basant Bhargav, Pradeep Ahirwar, Inder Singh Thakur, Dhananjay expressed their imagination through paintings.
Other NGOs also took out rallies condemning the successive state governments and multinational companies for leaving the victims to fend for themselves. Andersons' effigies were also burnt at many places.
The mourners also visited different crematoria and burial grounds to pay tribute to the deceased.
Many NGOs still criticised the government for providing only symptomatic treatment to the gas affected though a super speciality Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre had been established on Supreme Court's order to serve the survivors of the tragedy.
Mahila Udyog Sangathan Convenor Abdul Jabbar claimed that about 30,000 people had died and another one lakh people permanently disabled after their exposure to toxic MIC. More than five lakh people had filed suits for compensation which was being distributed through ward-level courts out of the corpus of 475 million US dollars received from the UCC through the Supreme Court mediation.
The criminal case relating to the industrial disaster was still pending in a local court. Then UCC Chairman Warren Anderson was among the accused but he had not yet responded to the court's summons.
Over the years UCC was acquired by Dow Chemicals. The Madhya Pradesh government has plans to develop a memorial on the 80-acre land surrounding the now-closed carbide plant.
Madhya Pradesh High Court had already issued directives for shifting of the chemical waste lying at the factory premises as it was causing water pollution in the adjoining areas.
Indian Council of Medical Research had conducted several projects to study the after effects of exposure to MIC. Majority of the victims have started showing symptoms of cancer and a Cancer Hospital has been set up in the city since this tragedy.
Free cataract operations
World Handicap Day is being observed on 3rd December. On this day the 'Drishti' Institute of Bhopal Charitable Hospital paid homage to the deceased of Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims and cataract operations of poor villagers were done. In a programme organised N Sridharan, Jai Prakash Pandey and Ajay Singh of the Micro Finance Branch of State Bank of India distributed free medicines and goggles to the poor patients. Dr Ajit Jain, Ajay Mehta and others of 'Drishti' gave free advice to the eye patients.
Homage paid to rail workers
At a function to pay homage to the rail workers who died in gas tragedy, Additional Divisional Railway Manager Lt. Colonel MP Singh announced that a shed would be erected at the memorial and beautification of the place would also be done. The West Central Railway Workers Welfare Centre, School family and Scouts and Guides placed a floral wheel at the memorial on Platform No. 1 and paid homage by standing two minutes in silence.
Not learnt any lesson
Jahrili Gas Kand Sangharsh Morcha president Man Singh said that the Central Government has not learnt any lesson even from the worst industrial disaster that occurred at Bhopal 24 years ago. He said that it is sad that the gas victims did not get proper treatment these years and the court could not punish the culprits of the tragedy so far.
Posted by tim at 02:12 PM | Comments (0)
December 03, 2008
Rallies, prayer meets mark Bhopal gas disaster anniversary
Bhopal, Dec 3 (IANS) People here held rallies, demonstrations and burnt effigies to observe the 24th anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy, which killed over 3,000 people and maimed several thousand others for life.The tragedy occurred on the night of Dec 2-3, 1984, when tonnes of Methyl-Isocyanate (MIC) and other lethal gases spewed out of the now defunct Union Carbide Corporation’s pesticide plant.
The NGOs, working for the victims, reiterated their resolve to continue their fight against the government, Union Carbide and Dow Chemicals which took over Union Carbide.
A torch rally was held and effigies of Warren Anderson, the then chairman of Union Carbide, were burnt at several places.
An all-religion prayer meeting was held Wednesday morning at the Barkatullah Bhavan in memory of the victims. However, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Governor Balram Jakhar did not attend. Every year, both the governor and the chief minister have been joining the memorial meeting.
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangthan (BGPMUS), a pressure group working for the cause of gas victims since 24 years, also took out a procession following a public meeting at the Yadgar-e-Shahjahani Park.
The procession passed through various localities of old Bhopal, around Union Carbide plant and culminated at Chhola cremation ground where Anderson’s effigy was burnt and a pledge to carry on the fight for justice was taken.
“The after-effects of the world’s biggest industrial disaster are not coming to an end. Despite all the claimed attempts, the much needed help, even today, is awaited by the most badly hit victims.
“Every year, the anniversary of the gas tragedy passes on with condolence meets and assurances but authorities are yet to address the woes of the sufferers”, said Abdul Jabbar, convenor BGPMUS.
He said: “Until now Rs.4 billion have been spent by these people in this fight. It is really shameful. The governments and the politicians are nothing but coffin thieves. They have snatched money from the dying people.”
Another rally was taken out jointly by the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh (BGPMSKS), Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha (BGPMPSM) and Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA).
Leaders of the organisations said over 100,000 people were still battling with chronic illnesses and diseases like tuberculosis, diabetes and hypertension and mental health problems.
Posted by tim at 06:37 PM | Comments (0)
Bhopal gas disaster victims stage protests in Delhi
New Delhi, Dec 3: To support the struggle of Bhopal gas victims, various organizations, supporting groups and students held a protest here last evening.
The protesters alleged that even after 24 years of the tragedy in which 3,800 people died, the victims are still awaiting help and support.
The protest was organised by the International Campaign for Justice inhopal (ICJB), a worldwide coalition of some 20 people's organizations, NGO'snd individuals to express solidarity with the groups.
"All the Delhi supporters, supporting groups and students want the empowered commission for Bhopal and also block an extra legal exit for the Dow Chemicals. We have gathered in memory of the Union Carbide victims and also in solidarity with the longest-running struggle. We are with them in full view for justice and life with dignity and demand for accountability," said Shalini Sharma, a volunteer associated with the ICJB.
On the night of December 2, 1984, tons of a toxic gas leaked from a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide in India's central Bhopal, killing about 3,800 people almost instantly. Thousands more were maimed.
Union Carbide in 1984 accepted moral responsibility for the tragedy and established a 100 million dollars charitable trust fund to build a hospital for victims. Later Union Carbide was taken over by Dow Chemical.The Union Carbide, after a protracted legal battle, paid 470 million dollars to the Indian Government in a settlement reached in 1989.
Posted by tim at 12:34 AM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2008
Bhopal gas tragedy victims take out torch rally
Bhopal, Dec 2 (IANS) Hundreds of survivors of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Tuesday marched with torches and held a candlelight vigil outside the now defunct Union Carbide factory here on the eve of the 24th anniversary of the disaster. Thousands of tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC) spewed out of the Union Carbide factory on the night of Dec 2-3, 1984 killing thousands of people instantly and maiming several thousands for life.
People living next to the Union Carbide factory - where the ground water is contaminated by poisons from the hazardous chemical waste of the factory - also joined the march. Children who had been poisoned by contaminated ground water formed a prominent part of the march.
Leaders of three organisations - Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha and Bhopal Group for Information and Action - demanded immediate setting up of the Empowered Commission on Bhopal for long term medical care and economic and social rehabilitation and supply of safe drinking water, besides clean up of thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste.
They said that following their march on foot to New Delhi in February and a five-month agitation from March to August this year, the central government has committed itself to setting up the Empowered Commission.
The organisations said that the central government has also promised to pursue Dow Chemical’s liability with regard to contamination of soil and ground water, in the ongoing case in Madhya Pradesh High Court at Jabalpur.
Posted by tim at 08:29 PM | Comments (0)
Bhopal gas tragedy victims rue government apathy even after 24 years
Bhopal, Dec 2 (ANI): Even after 24 years of the Bhopal gas tragedy, victims affected by it are still awaiting help and support.
Demanding government intervention, the victims said that their long fight for justice has cost them a fortune.
"Until now four billion rupees have been spent by these people in this fight.
It is really shameful. The governments and the politicians are nothing but coffin thieves. They have snatched money from the dying people," said Abdul Jabbar, President, Women Entrepreneur Association, Bhopal.
"The people here are suffering from diseases like lung problems and other respiratory diseases. The children who are being born now are also facing problems like poor vision, less growth and lack of memory. It is very clear that Bhopal is a dying city," added.
The victims lament the government's failure to provide them with quality medical care.
"The problems that we faced at the time of the gas tragedy are nothing in comparison to what we are facing now. The government is not providing us with proper medicines. We don't have money to get ourselves treated by private doctors. The medicines provided at government dispensaries are ineffective. The situation is just worsening now," said Sayyed Irfan, a gas victim.
They complain that it has taken them their lifetime and their filial generation too might suffer on this account.
"The government has not provided us with proper medical facilities and adequate compensation. Our generation is almost finished fighting for the cause of justice. We are not even sure that our children who are also fighting with us will ever be able to get anything," said Mohini Devi, another gas victim.
On the night of December 2, 1984, tons of a toxic gas leaked from a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide in Bhopal, killing about 3,800 people almost immediately. Thousands more were injured.
Union Carbide in 1984 accepted moral responsibility for the tragedy and established a 100 million dollars charitable trust fund to build a hospital for victims. Later, Union Carbide was taken over by Dow Chemical.
Posted by tim at 12:25 AM | Comments (0)